One by one, six students from local high schools stood in front of judges, family and members of the Ridgecrest Lions Club as part of the annual Student Speaker Contest on Tuesday at the Ridgecrest City Hall.

The topic: Community Service, what does it mean and why does it matter?

All six students — two from Immanuel Christian, two from Burroughs and two from Trona — spoke with varying degrees of success, some giving personal reflections about community service, others relaying studies.

Each had 10 minutes max, all carefully assessed by four judges.

Danielle Cox, a Trona High senior, spoke eloquently about some of the complexities of community service and how some might see it as a form of punishment.

She said she had thought her graduation should be grade-based, not based the people she had to socialize with. But as she began to volunteer more and more, the confusion lessened, she said.

“I know that community service is so much more than helping people, it is an act of instilling pride in yourself and community,” Cox said.

While people can talk a good game about the problems, she said. It is also simple enough to perform acts of community service. It should serve as a means of motivation, she said.

“Community service is so vague and simple, almost anyone can do it, and in most cases, it doesn’t have be a part of a team or a big project,” Cox said. “It’s like that phrase, ‘One kind act leads to another,’ and it takes one person to set that example and the rest will follow.”

Linny Khok of ICS called community service a time to serve, and not just a requirement, that stems from a variety of reasons or takes on different forms. Her speech focused on the positives community service provides for both the community and the individual.

“Community service is serving others to benefit the community, it helps to unite the people, build good characteristics, boost self-esteem and gain different insights,” Khok said.

Khok said being a high school student has caused her to volunteer in different projects, including those related to K-pop, or Korean Pop music.

Burroughs student Christen Scott took the podium next, but faced the challenge of a shut-off microphone. He projected his voice as best he could in the city council chamber.

Scott cited Greek proverbs and Winston Churchill in his presentation on community service.

“Any community can grow great with enough sacrifice,” Scott said, adding that community service can bring a positive impact for any town.

Scott also cited studies and industry journals, saying in 2012 one in four Americans volunteered in their community, or 6.5 million Americans putting in a combined 7.9 billion hours, for about $175 billion worth of service.

Page 2 of 3 - “Volunteer work can save precious time, resources and money,” Scott said. “It is an irreplaceable source of help that cannot be substituted.”

But at the local level, it can be priceless.

“Community service can transform a downtrodden heart and with enough persistence can transform an entire city,” Scott said.

Jessica Thatcher, from ICS, said, “not a single definition in any book can tell you what community service means or why it means.”

Rather than a resume booster, community service is about the impact it has on a person or a community, she said.

“Every effort you are willing to put forth is important,” Thatcher said. She cited her own experience over more than four years, from raising money to putting together troop packages, but held out the Cystic Fibrosis Great Strides Walk as one important event a few years ago.

Thatcher said she researched CF as much as possible in an effort to help, and suggested it as a fundraiser for her AVID group, which has raised $5,000 since for the Great Strides walk.

She said it drove home the personal perspective of community service.

“Statistics do not matter, they only give you cause,” Thatcher said. “But people give you insight into their lives. How can you help someone if you don’t really know them? You can’t, so make an impact by getting to know them directly.”

ICS student Aria Witham, bubbly and spirited, delivered the winning speech. She said there’s more than meets the eye to community service.

“It’s more than a one-time action but actually a way of life that can impact the community on a day-to-day basis,” Witham said. Three levels existed, including large-scale projects like cleanups, individual efforts like supporting local economies, and a broader effort least noticed.

The third, she said, was particularly effective because simple acts of kindness when helping another can be infectious.

“That person can go on to follow your example and help even more people, creating an unstoppable chain of service,” Witham said. She said community service must be way of life, a day-to-day challenge, rather than something done on a particular weekend.

Community service, Witham continued, is also essential for communities as a whole.

“If a community is filled with unhappy people living in a trashy, ugly town then it is headed straight toward its demise,” she said. “But if people are proud of their town because they are a part of making it the beautiful place it is, the community will thrive and grow.”

Bryan Foreman, of Trona High, related a tale of how one pro football player found himself bested by a young, up-and-coming opponent and how the crowd started taking to the newcomer. Because of this, the pro football player slowly broke down and became grouchy and uncaring.

Page 3 of 3 - Then he launched into his own frank speech of community service.

“This story is an example of my own town,” Foreman said. He said the opponent represented a rival city that slowly drew more people to live there as opposed to his own hometown, which slowly began to fall into disrepair.

“The simple solution to this is called community service,” Foreman said. He said that it is a simple effort that requires only a little bit of time.

He had theories of why time is hard to come by, ranging from people being lazy, a belief others would serve, and laying blame where it doesn’t belong, such as on technology.

“Technology should not be to blame; social media has made it easier to get a hold of community members and makes it simpler to get together a community cleanup,” Foreman said. Foreman’s own experience in community service stems from Boy Scouts.

He said community service also offers knowledge and experience, essential for those seeking a job, and helps make connections.

He was blunt in his appraisal of community service’s downside, such as being a requirement for graduation.

“To me this is completely wrong. Community service is voluntary-based and should never be forced,” Foreman said. “If often creates resentment and discourages from helping out in the future. I do not see many negatives to community service, mostly positive.”

A loud applause followed the speakers as the judges deliberated over their scores.

Ridgecrest Lions Club member Steven Morgan announced Witham as the winner, with a $75 scholarship. She is the person to head on to the Desert Zone B contest in California City’s American Legion Club on March 15. The rest received $25 scholarships and have been strongly encouraged to apply for a separate scholarship provided by the Ridgecrest Lions Club.

“Each of our contestants is considered a winner, and I greatly appreciate their participation,” Morgan said.